Cactus Flower Florists has been serving the Phoenix metro area since 1972. We are family owned and operated and are committed to offering our customers the finest in floral gifts, backed by our 100% guarantee. We've been named Best of Phoenix by Phoenix Magazine and CitySearch Best Florist, among many other awards. Cactus Flower offers same-day, nationwide delivery with five locations to serve you. Follow us @cactusflower72

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Some of you may be
thinking, "Oh, good grief, not another 'Hallmark Holiday'" (term used
by those who are certain greeting card manufacturers make up holidays just to
sell greeting cards. Since there are seven BILLION greeting cards sold
annually in the US alone, the card companies really don't need to make up fake
holidays!) However, Grandparents Day is nothing new. In fact, it
has been a legally recognized holiday in the US since 1978. In a calendar
full of special recognition days, Grandparents Day stands out as one that is
severely under-celebrated. I mean, it's Grandma! And Grandpa!
Surely they deserve a bit of pomp and circumstance. After all, there's a
National Cheese Doodle Day (May 5th), a Garfield The Cat Day (June 19th) and
International Yada Yada Yada Day (July 23rd, for those lovers of Seinfeld).
Two days we can all really get behind fall in November--the 2nd is Men Make
Dinner Day and the 4th is Use Your Common Sense Day. And what about
December 6th, National Read A Book Day, which is followed on the 7th by
National Buy A Book Day. If the creators of the last two days had
utilized the Common Sense Day, they'd know that perhaps they should BUY the
book first, then READ it.

However--GRANDPARENTS DAY--what a wonderful reason to celebrate. Whether you
are fortunate enough to still have both grandparents, or you want recognize
that special person who has shouldered the grandparent job alone, this is a
perfect way to make a fuss over people who generally prefer to fuss over
others.

Great Ideas for Grandparents Day:
*If you are miles apart, CALL THEM! But before you reach out, write a list to
refer back to. Make note of the reasons your grandparents mean so much to
you. Perhaps Grandma always made you a new dress for the first day of
school. Maybe Grandpa taught you how to fish. Were they your
regular after-school caregivers? Did they offer up their home to your
family during times of transition? Or did they become your parents when your
own were not able? Let them know. Tell them now, while they are still
around to hear this and be blessed by it.

* Give your time. Offer to do yardwork, painting, little chores around
the house. Drive them to doctor appointments, on shopping excursions, to
their favorite restaurant for lunch. As people age, it gets harder to do
the things they used to take for granted. However, older folks are
generally prideful of their independence and simply will not ask for help, no
matter how much they need it. Grandparents Day gives you a reason to help
without making your loved ones feel as if they are a bother.

* Take them somewhere they wouldn't normally go...to a museum, the zoo, the
Botanical Garden, to see a concert, to visit any one of the many cultural
goings-on in metro Phoenix on any given weekend. This gives them a chance
to get dressed up, get out of the house and see something new. Not to
mention, they'll be enjoying your company while doing so.

* Just talk. We're all in such a hurry, with our kids and our jobs
and spouses and busy, busy lives that sometimes, we lose sight of the things
that should be most important. Just listen to the stories the older
generations have to tell. You'll be glad you did.

* And of course, send them something to let them know you are thinking of them.
How often do your grandparents get a gift 'just because'? It's exciting
for them to hear that knock on the door and open it to see someone standing
there, holding flowers or a nice green plant or a fresh basket of fruit!
Check out our website for great ideas for Grandparents Day gifts!

Our friends at Generations United invite you to #DoSomethingGrand in honor of
#GrandparentsDay (Sept. 10). They’ve put together a host of ways you can get
involved. Find out how at www.grandparentsday.org.

Friday, August 4, 2017

Most Valley kids return to
classes this month, and some parents think it's the most wonderful time of the
year! Just think of how quiet the house will be...how much work you'll
actually be able to get done without someone yelling, "MOM!!"
Go ahead, take a deep breath. Aaaaah--oh, wait, those poor
teachers! As the herds arrive en masse, we really need to let our favorite
teachers know how much she/he is appreciated. A sweet fun bouquet for the
desk is a wonderful 'welcome back!' gift. Succulents are still trending
and are so easy to care for, with so many varieties! A fruit basket would be
nice, too, especially if there was a bright shiny red apple on the top. Here are some ideas we can even deliver for you!

Here are a few great card messages for teachers and other school employees:

To a brand new teacher...funniest if he or she is a grade school teacher:
"Congratulations on making it into the 3rd Grade!"

To a long time teacher...
"Welcome back to another school year! One day down, 179 more to go!!

Slight sarcasm for the teacher with a good sense of humor:
"I know you are really excited to be back to school. I'm sure it was
getting pretty boring at home. You know, sleeping in and enjoying life
and all that stuff..."

To express enthusiasm:
"May every teacher become a mentor, may every classmate become a friend,
may every lesson teach and enrich. Here's to the best school year
ever!"

To cheer any teacher:
"It's the first day of school and you've already earned four A's....You're
Astounding, Amazing, Awesome and Astonishing!"

And don't forget mom, she's held it all together with the kids bouncing off the
walls for the past three months. In fact, we've found the perfect card
message to go with her Thank You flowers:
"If there were no schools to take the children away from home part of the
time, the insane asylums would be filled with mothers."

The sunflower is one of the most requested blooms by our
customers. Once considered a fall flower, it is now generally available to us
year-round, with supplies most plentiful from late July through late November.

*The sunflower is Kansas's state flower. However, it is considered a weed
by many farmers there, as it grows so fast and spreads so prolifically.

*The scientific term for the sunflower is Helianthus, with 'helios' meaning sun
and 'anthus' meaning plant.

*There are about 70 known species. Fun Fact: All but three of the 70
species are native to North America.

*Russia and Argentina grow the most sunflowers for floral and foodstuff
production.

*The largest field of sunflowers is located in Tuscany, Italy.

*While most grow anywhere from three to nine feet tall, the tallest sunflower
ever was produced in the Netherlands, at a whopping TEN FEET tall!

*The width of most sunflowers falls between five to twelve inches, so could you
just imagine what the world's record 32" looked like? It was grown
in British Columbia.

*Sunflowers love the sun, but they are also huge water consumers. When
found in the wild, they are easy to spot near watery areas such as creeks,
riverbeds, and the like.

*While growing, sunflowers raise their heads to track the sun, however once
mature, most will face east.

*If you are a Leo (born July 23rd through August 22nd) the sunflower is your
sign's flower

Sunflowers are a wonderful 'face' flower, as we florists like to call it.
A face flower is simply the focal flower, the star of the show, and few blooms
do it with such panache as this big, bright yellow beauty. Quite
versatile, it can be it can be mixed with several other colors and textures to
create a beautiful bouquet, but it looks even more stunning when the entire
bouquet is of sunflowers. Favorite greenery (other than good old salal,
of course) is spiral eucalyptus, seeded eucalyptus, and gravalia. Accent
flowers that play nicely with sunflowers include solidago or Viking daisies
(which look like tiny little sunflowers!) In nature, yellow's favorite
contrasting color is purple--just try pairing with bright purple statice and you'll
see what we mean!

And just why are we lauding the humble sunflower? Why, it's the Cactus
Flower Fresh Ten special of the month! That's right, until August 31st,
stop in at any one of out locations in the metro Phoenix area and pick up ten
stems for just ten bucks. Shop now.